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Penistone Court, Sheffield Road, SHEFFIELD, S36 6HP

This picture is taken near the western end of the main platforms where trains for Manchester once make their way towards the famous Woodhead tunnel. Now walkers following the Trans Pennine Trail come this way and then towards the SE as did the original main line making its way towards Sheffield. Sheffield can still be reached by rail from Penistone as the Pennine Line uses the former branch line to Barnsley which ran off easterly from the main line about a mile south of the station.

Now used by several small companies.

Opened in 1874 jointly by the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (on the Manchester to Sheffield Victoria via Woodhead line) and the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (on what is today the Huddersfield to Sheffield line), at the points where the two lines joined. This station replaced an earlier 1845 station around 400m west of here, on the Woodhead line, which closed to passengers at the same time. Forecourt view south east. The Huddersfield line platform canopies can be seen in the distance to the left of the image. The Woodhead line, hidden behind the station building to the right, closed to passengers in 1970 and completely in 1981.

When I visited this station for the first time I was unaware that it had been a junction with a major route heading westwards across the Pennines to Manchester passing through the famous Woodhead tunnel en route. There is no footbridge or subway so to exit the station so, having arrived from the Huddersfield direction, it is necessary to use the boarding across the track. When I did that for the first time a couple years ago I did not expect to see the remains of another line, let alone one which had been a very important one. It rather stunned me. Since then the vegetation has flourished somewhat and is very vigorous in this month of July. Nevertheless it is possible follow some of the platform edge furthest away from the main station buildings. There was overhead electrification too but if any evidence of that remains it is probably well hidden. Proposals have been made to reopen the line but it looks as though road transport has won this battle, at least for the time being.

These former station buildings are now occupied by non-railway businesses since the railway’s present needs are met by simpler structures on its two remaining platforms.

The platform was for trains on the electrified Woodhead Line between Sheffield and Manchester. This line was closed west of Penistone in 1981

At Penistone Station.

This disused platform at Penistone railway station was originally the main line from Sheffield to Manchester (the 'Woodhead Line'). Parts of the line now form stretches of the Trans Pennine Trail. This image is facing towards Sheffield.